


Imperial Slave

by Milksapphire



Category: DC Elseworlds, DC Extended Universe, DCU, Supergirl (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Corruption, DC Elseworlds - Freeform, Drama & Romance, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Krypton, Kryptonian Empire, Kryptonians, Kryptonians invaded Earth, Kryptonite, Multi, Slow Build, The El Family, Themyscira (DCU), War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:20:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milksapphire/pseuds/Milksapphire
Summary: Before the destruction of their planet, the Kryptonians settled on earth with Zod as ruler of their Empire. The Emperor continually wars with the Amazons and captures their princess as a political tool for war. Kal-El, studying to become a councilman, is entrusted to the Amazon Princess to study and gather information from her.
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman) & Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Clark Kent, Dru-Zod & Jor-El, Dru-Zod/Faora Hu-Ul, Faora Hu-Ul & Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El/Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El/Lara Lor-Van/General Zod
Comments: 12
Kudos: 29





	1. Rumors in The Empire

**Author's Note:**

> I have always been a fan of alternate stories and this one won't be any different. This is an extremely AU/DC Elseworld story. I'm not really following any specific medium but will take elements from various mediums and combine them together.

He should consider himself lucky to live in the home that he did. He lived a life of luxury and was able to go and come as he pleased and he'd never gone without. All of his needs were met and sometimes he felt a twinge of guilt living in a large mansion while the Empire's citizens lived in smaller homes.

When he was a child he looked forward to celebrations held in the Emperor's palace. Due to his parents' positions as council members he was given special treatment by Emperor Zod and his wife, Empress Faora. Each year he was showered with gifts on his birthday and he looked forward to his special day each passing year.

That soon came to a slowing halt when his mother suddenly fell pregnant with his siblings after his tenth year. The news came as a shock and he was somewhat disappointed that he was going to be a brother after he spent so many years alone with his parents. He didn't like the idea of sharing his parents at first but after the birth of his siblings he quickly grew to love and cherish them.

Eleven years later he still felt the same about his brother and sister. Today was his special day and at the age of twenty one, he no longer looked forward to celebrating his birthday. Each day he oversaw his father during council meetings in the morning and then returned home to study.

He always thought his parents had a very loving relationship. Early in their marriage he witnessed that they could barely keep their hands off each other. That seemed like a distant memory. Every day when his parents came home after attending meetings with the Emperor and council, they were emotionally and mentally drained which caused a lot of bickering.

He expected this day wouldn't be any different.

Cooped up in his room studying he heard his mother's voice outside in the hallway. He lifted his nose out of the tablet and peered at the doors, listening to his mother berate his little sister. Sighing, he swiped his hand over the tablet, turning it off and went to see what the commotion was.

He swung open the door and the bickering ceased. He stared down at his kid sister and smiled warmly then shot a glare at his tall mother.

Lara nervously smiled at her son and brushed her hands along the black long sleeves of her form-fitting gown. "Kal, were we interrupting your studying?" she asked.

"I was almost finished anyway. Why are you yelling at Valora?"

"It's not important," she shrugged it off. "I hope you haven't forgotten about your party tonight at the palace. The Emperor has something special planned for you, so your father tells me."

"I'm sure," he said coolly.

Valora grabbed her brother's arm. "Am I invited to the party?"

Before he could get a word in his mother interrupted him. "You will be staying here with me and Bru," Lara told her. "Another time, perhaps?" she held out a hand, "come, let's leave your brother to his studies."

He stood back and watched his sister trail off with his mother. He wondered why his mother was so curt but he deduced it to her being stressed over work for the Empire. He didn't know what happened during those meetings but he witnessed his mother's mood change drastically over the last year.

Once a kind and sweet woman now turned into a bitter and disdainful woman. He hated to see his mother in this state but every time he addressed the subject to his father he was dismissed.

* * *

Jor-El finished his daily meeting with the council and he packed up his belongings in his private office to return home for the day. He didn't know why he bothered to go back home when he had to be back at the palace this evening for Kal's birthday celebration.

He thought it best to stay here but he knew that Lara was going to be upset if he didn't return. It became quite a chore to see his wife every single day in the palace and only to see her face at home as well. He knew that his wife was incredibly stressed with the amount of pressure Emperor Zod was putting on her recently. Lara's aggressive behavior was beginning to affect the livelihood of their children and he wished she wouldn't bring her stress home but it wasn't something he could control.

He certainly stopped trying to control his wife and continued to delve into his work to occupy his wandering mind. As he sat, searching the tablet on his desk, he eyed another meeting that was to come up later this week. He dreaded that meeting but he had to be there.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed his clean shaven chin and then lifted his eyes to a figure standing in the doorway. Caught off guard, he rose from the chair and bowed.

"Empress Faora," he greeted with his gaze directed to the floor.

She sauntered into the office with a smug smile. "You may look at me, Jor-El. This visit is off the record. I want to talk to you."

He reluctantly lifted his head, staring at her trim figure dressed in black robes and a gown that clung to every little curve of her body. He averted his eyes as she neared his workspace. He quickly closed out of the digital documents and rounded the desk to greet her properly.

"What did you want to talk about, Empress?" he asked, meeting her icy eyes.

She adjusted the elaborate headpiece guarding her raven hair and smiled at the councilman. She leaned against the desk and casually tapped her fingers on the tabletop. She couldn't help but notice the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I want to talk about your wife."

He whipped his head towards her. "Lara?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "I do admire your wife's work, Jor. She is a valuable asset to the Empire," she went on to say. "But there is one little _problem_." She closed the space between them, their chests almost touching. "There have been quite a lot of complaints about her recently. I'd hate for the word of mouth to reach my _husband_ ," she threatened.

Jor wiped the sweat off his brow and took a step away from her. "What kind of complaints? I'm sure Lara meant no harm. She is a servant of the Empire."

She snickered. "I'd like it to remain that way." She traced her finger across his chest. "There's been talk that she supports the rebels. I do like your family, Jor. It'd be wise of you to keep your wife in line."

"Those are just rumors, Empress. Lara would never betray the Empire. She is…" he held his breath as she enclosed in on his personal space. "She's stressed to meet her quota."

"Of course she is," she flashed a devious smile. "Make sure that they're merely _rumors_ and we'll keep this between us, yes?"

Jor nervously smiled at Faora. "As you wish. I will speak with her."

She nodded. "Very good. I will see you this evening."

"This evening?"

"Your son's celebration."

"Oh yes," he nods in affirmation. "I must be going. Empress," he inclined his head and scurried out of his office.

* * *

Kal sat with his little brother, overseeing the project that Bru was working on. He advised him on what tools to use for a new machine that was supposed to project a holograph of the entire world. He admired his little brother's ambitions and determination to see the project through even though the project was far too complicated for a child.

He saw much of his mother in his little brother. Both were incredibly intelligent but also sensitive in comparison to Jor-El. Despite his siblings being twins they were completely different personality wise. Valora was far more outspoken than her twin brother and spent more time in the lab, conducting odd experiments that infuriated her mother.

Bru toyed with the wires of the spherical projector and grunted as he ripped one of the wires out by accident. Kal smiled and offered to help ease the boy's frustration.

"You don't really need this wire," he said. "It can be replaced but it won't prevent the machine from operating correctly."

Bru scratched his head. "If I don't need the wire then why is it there in the first place?"

"Whoever designed this didn't know what they were doing." Kal inspected the small machine. "Where did you find this?"

"In mother's office," Bru whispered.

"Ah," he eyed his mother sitting, reading off a tablet in a corner of the living space. "Why were you in her office? You know you're not supposed to go in there without her permission, Bru."

The little brother slouched in posture. "Mother keeps a shelf full of old stuff! I was looking for her yesterday and I found that," he gestured to the machine. "I wanted to see if it works and that's why I took it."

Kal sighed and set down the metal sphere. "What if mother looks for this and she can't find it?"

"How is she going to know? She never looks on that shelf, Kal!" he giggled mischievously.

Jor-El stormed into the room and set down case filled with his work. Disgruntled and disturbed by the brief meeting he had with Faora, he set his gaze on his wife who was reading and taking notes in her usual spot. He smiled at his sons and Bru ran over to greet him.

He smoothed a hand over the boy's dark hair. "Have you been studying like I told you?"

Bru nodded. "Yes, father. I didn't cause any trouble today."

Jor paddled his son's head and then sternly looked to Kal. "We'll be leaving to the palace for your celebration soon. This is more than just celebrating the day of your birth, Kal. You will finally meet the High Eminence Lor-Em. He is looking forward to meeting you. He might question you on our laws so I hope all of your studying has paid off."

Kal felt the pressure to represent his family in front of the most important person on the council. He'd heard that Lor-Em was very particular on who he allowed to be on the council board.

"I have memorized all of the laws of the Empire, father. I won't disappoint you."

Jor curtly nodded. "I sure hope so, Kal. Excuse me, I need to speak with your mother."

He jaunted over to Lara and placed a hand on her shoulder. She met his cerulean eyes and tapped his hand then turned off her tablet. By the seriousness written on his face she knew that he had something to get off his chest and took his hand, following him into an adjoining room.

"Faora spoke to me in my office," he whispered, keeping his voice down so his children wouldn't hear.

Lara folded her arms. Whenever Faora was mentioned nothing good could come of it.

"Why did she come to your office? She never gives private meetings to council members."

He tiptoed around the subject with extreme caution. He wouldn't dare tell his wife that the Empress had eyes for him despite being married to the most powerful person in the Empire.

"She told me that there are rumors spreading," he said. "About you."

"Me?" she pointed to her chest.

Jor inhaled heavily and took his wife's hands firmly. "She said that people suspect that _you_ side with the rebels. I know that isn't true, Lara. Who would start such an absurd rumor?"

She swallowed and turned her cheek, peering from behind the wall at her daughter, reading quietly on the floor.

"Lara?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me that they're just rumors. Tell me that they _aren't_ true," he whispered.

Her icy blue eyes faltered and the grip on her hands tightened. She flinched, not able to look her husband in the eye.

" _Lara_!" he hissed. "You know that our family is under heavy surveillance. Anything you say is not private in the palace! You work for the Empire! You don't have the luxury to voice your opinion on the way Zod runs his Empire."

"And you're telling me that you _agree_ with everything? The _way_ he runs this Empire? Jor, do not play yourself for a fool. You share the same thoughts as I do!" she snatched her hands away and crossed her arms.

Jor blocked the doorway and she tried to side-step him. He grabbed hold of her arms and their eyes met a serious staring contest.

"Promise me that you will not speak freely _anymore_ , Lara."

"Shouldn't you be on your way to our son's celebration?" she shoved him, brushing arms as she passed through the doorway.

* * *

Nervous couldn't even begin to describe the way he was feeling right now. The second he walked into the vast palace all eyes were on him. Several council members, important families in the Empire, soldiers of the Empire's military and politicians gawked at him. This wasn't a traditional birthday and he feared meeting Lor-Em.

He was practically dragged around the large room by his father, forcing him to greet the members of the council. They made their way around and there was the High Eminence Lor-Em, chatting with a few of his subjects.

Jor-El pushed his son forward with a gentle hand and the council leader turned, smiling at the El men. Jor wanted to make a good impression on the councilman but Kal's silence was unnerving and albeit disrespectful.

"Jor-El, you must be proud that your son will soon follow in your footsteps," said Lor-Em.

Kal kept staring at the elder, utterly intimidated by the way he carried himself. He was much worse than he imagined. The councilman was not only tall like a looming tower, but he had a certain aura about him and now knew why his father was so worried whenever he was called into Lor-Em's office.

"He has a long way to go but he continues to study every day. Isn't that right, Kal?" his voice stern.

Kal nodded and bowed his head to the High Eminence leader. "I will make sure that I represent my family to the highest standard in the council in the near future, High Eminence."

"Very good." Lor-Em chuckled at the young man's uneasiness. "Jor, how is your wife? I do enjoy her company. She is a delightful woman."

Jor-El was mildly disappointed by his son's lack of confidence. "She is at home with our youngest children."

The councilman nodded his head slowly and kept smiling at Kal-El, intrigued by his coy nature. He certainly wasn't like Jor-El even though they shared similar features. Kal reminded him of Lara and that was probably why he thought the shyness amused him so much.

"I must commend your wife for birthing your children in such an untraditional Kryptonian way, Jor. Let us not hope that becomes a trend." He said with an underlying tone of disdain. "Excuse me, I need to meet with Commander Ursa."

Jor and Kal both stepped away, allowing the elder to pass in between them. Jor wondered when the talk of his children's coming into the world was going to end. He knew that traditional births weren't common among their people and hasn't been for thousands of years.

His family was immediately put under the radar when Lara, one day, returned to work obviously very pregnant. It was still talked about eleven years later. He knew that Lor-Em brought up the subject only to stir him. He hoped that Lor-Em hadn't heard the rumors about Lara which in fact weren't _rumors_ at all.

"Kal," he took his son aside, "why are you portraying yourself like this? You are representing _our_ family! I expect more from you if you want to be put on the council some day."

"I am trying my best, father. I've never been around any of the council members before."

"Just make sure not to make a fool of yourself when you speak to the Emperor and his wife."

Kal exhaled deeply and turned to see Emperor Zod and Empress Faora talking with a few councilmen and women. Faora looked indefinitely uninterested with that false smile painted on her lips. Her tight cheeks were painful to look at.

Well into the evening Kal was introduced several more councilmen and women to which he tried not to appear nervous. The women seemed to take a liking to him and smiled as he spoke and when he remained still and silent as well.

Interrupting the chatter around the room, Emperor Zod called everyone's attention. The room fell silent and Kal turned to the bearded Emperor and clenched his jaw, fearing that he was going to be called up to the front of the room, further embarrassing him.

Dru-Zod smiled, raising his hand. "As you all may know we are all gathered here today celebrate the birth of Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van-El!"

Everyone in the room turned to the El men and raised their flutes filled with sprites. Kal's cheeks paled at the amount of attention on him. His father kept a smile plastered on his face, painfully obvious he was also uncomfortable.

"They are a proud and esteemed family in this Empire. The Els have made huge contributions to the Empire and for that, we should all rejoice in their accomplishments, especially Jor-El's _wife_ ," he raised his glass, eyeing Jor-El with narrowed eyes.

Jor felt a knot form in his stomach. _He knows_.

After the clapping died down, Zod looked around the room at his subjects, turning his harsh gaze away from the Els. He wrapped an arm around his wife's slender waist, forcibly pulling her close and she forced a smile though she slightly resisted his hold.

"Since everyone is gathered here this evening I'd like to present a little… _gift_ to you all." He snapped his fingers at the soldiers posted at the doors.

All eyes turned as the doors opened and two soldiers brought in a tall brunette woman, shackled by her wrists and ankles. She resisted as she was forcefully drug by Zod's men, grunting, heaving and scowling at the foreigners surrounding her.

"The Amazon Princess!" Zod's voice boomed through the hall.

The prisoner was pushed forward into the center of the room and all of the Kryptonians enclosed in on her, sizing her up from head to toe. Two men came a bit too close and she spat at them. Gasps were sounded and one of the soldiers zapped her with a spear and she fell to one knee, moaning in agony.

Kal weaved through the crowd to examine the so-called Amazon Princess. He hid behind one of the councilmen, eyeing the raven haired woman kneeling on the ground. When she lifted her head, his eyes widened at the beauty before him.

Her eyes like ice which reminded him of his mother's, hair long, dipped down to her waist, and thick sculpted eyebrows that accentuated her angular features and prominent cheekbones to taper her narrow jaw.

The princess was hoisted to her feet and she blew a strand of her hair from her eyes, grimacing at the onlookers. She felt like she was but a show for them that they'd gladly pay money to watch her suffer for pure enjoyment as she was being manhandled and occasionally zapped, searing her flesh.

"The Amazons have been a problem for us all for some time now," announced Emperor Zod. "I have since captured the Princess of their kind. For now, she is Kryptonian property and our prisoner of war."

Kal looked at the princess and their eyes met for a moment. She heaved, her chest rising and falling heavily as her stare intensified the longer he kept eyes on her.


	2. Savage

Sleep never came easily to Kal and last night he wasn't able to clear his mind for even a second. The party at the palace had a quick turn of events and he wasn't expecting that little surprise towards the end of the evening. Emperor Zod spoke of his hatred for the Amazons who lived in a disclosed location hidden to the naked eye.

Even though his parents worked for the council and up to speed with the Empire's politics, he was clueless. His parents never discussed political affairs with him because he wasn't yet accepted into the council. After last night's meeting with Lor-Em he knew that he probably wasn't going to be accepted for some time.

What surprised him was that the Emperor gave him a very daunting task. He was to interview the Amazon Princess. It was a test. It had to be, Kal thought. He had no experience dealing with foreigners. He could barely have a decent conversation with his own race and now he had to speak to the Empire's enemy.

He wasn't ready. He couldn't do it. But he had to.

Kal lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He saw all hours of the day. Night, dusk and the red sun rising in the sky, seeping through the windows in his bedroom. He sighed heavily and sat up, digging his fingers into his scalp, gazing at the floor. He should be blessed that his body didn't require a lot of rest but today was going to be exceptionally difficult. He needed a clear mind to talk to this princess.

He dressed into a fresh suit and gently placed headband over his head, tucking the stray hairs underneath the band. Once he looked somewhat presentable he walked down the hallway towards the dining area of his large home.

Right before he entered, he could hear his parents arguing. This early in the morning? He sauntered through the doorway and immediately his siblings smiled, greeting him with bright faces as they were nearly finished eating their food.

Lara burst into the room, obviously irritated and unnerved. She halted at the sight of all her children sitting together. She put on a face for the three and forced a faint smile.

"Good morning, Kal," she said, offering him an empty plate to fill. "Did you sleep well? Your father told me that you have a very important interview today." She sat down, joining her children. "With that princess, right?"

Valora lowered the spoon from her mouth, intrigued by their conversation. "Princess? Kal, you're going to meet a princess?"

Kal cleared his throat and wished his mother hadn't mentioned it especially in front of his curious siblings, Valora to be exact. He kept his gaze at the food on his plate, pushing it around with a long plated spoon.

"I'm sure you'll do a fine job," said Lara. "You've always been very good at interrogating others. You certainly didn't get that trait from _me_." She side-eyed her husband and Jor turned his back to her.

Valora let out an exasperated sigh. "Is no one going to tell me who this princess is?" she whined.

Kal reached across the table and pinched his sister's cheek. Without a present appetite he was eager to get out of the house. He didn't want to be in the middle of his parents' tense atmosphere anymore and his mother was putting on a façade for his siblings. It was unlike her.

He abruptly stood and briefly flashed a smile at his mother. "I think I will go to the palace early and prepare for the interview." It felt odd to call it an interrogation. He wanted to be as polite as possible to their prisoner.

Jor turned. "I will come with you," he eagerly said, obviously trying to evade his wife's wrath.

* * *

They strolled through the palace together, greeted by several councilmen passing them by. Kal tried to seem confident and strong in front of the elders but he wondered if they were all casting their pity on him after last night. Lor-Em was bound to have told the council that he just wasn't ready to assume a position on the board. Now that he was assuming things about others it made him more nervous.

Kal glanced around at the unfamiliar hall he walked through with his father by his side. "Where are we going?"

"To the lower level where prisoners are kept," Jor said.

He nods and twiddled his thumbs behind his back. He had the itch to question his father about the constant fighting with his mother. Surely, his father didn't think that he couldn't hear their crude banter?

"Father, why do you keep arguing with mother?" he finally asked.

Jor grunted lowly. "That's none of your concern, Kal. It's rather rude of you to eavesdrop on our conversations."

"I don't eavesdrop. I can hear you both from my bedroom sometimes," Kal added. "You shouldn't raise your voice to mother."

Jor breathed heavily out of his nostrils and kept his gaze forward. "Do not interfere in matters that do not concern you, Kal."

There was a long moment of silence before they stopped in front of a door that led to the lower level of the palace. Kal stared at the closed door, fearing the worst to come was only a few steps through that doorway. His father swiped his hand over the pad and the door parted.

Before they entered together Kal turned to his father with narrowed eyes. "I don't like the way you speak to mother. I don't know what you two are arguing about but raising your voice to get your point across isn't a wise choice."

He put a foot through the doorway and then Jor yanked him backward with a hard pull to the shoulder. He held his breath as his father pinned him to the wall.

"There are things far beyond your knowledge, Kal!" he hissed. "We aren't going to speak of this again, do you understand?"

Kal clenched his jaw and responded with a simple silent stare until his father took his hands off him. He had never seen this side to his father before. He always knew his father to be a calm and collected man who never showed his displeasure for anyone. And he'd never seen him lash out like that before. Whatever conversations he and his mother were having obviously caused a rift between them. Now Kal wasn't so sure he wanted to know what the arguments consisted of anymore after his father's reaction.

After walking down a series of stairs they were met with the military commander, Ursa who was apparently waiting for them. Kal smiled at the tall lithe commander and peered into the cell where the Amazon Princess was kept. She had her head down as she sat with her back against the wall, wearing those indestructible bracelets on her ankles and wrists from last night.

Ursa smiled and rests her hands on her hips. "The El men," she said coldly. "It's about time you two showed up. There is a list of questions to be asked on the pad over there," she pointed to the cell. "Emperor Zod will want a full report on the interrogation."

"Kal will make sure to be very thorough." Jor said while glaring at the brunette.

She hummed softly and eyed the son of El. "Good luck."

Jor followed her as she ascended up the staircase and he shook his head. Of all people in this Empire, he didn't really care for Ursa. He grasped his son's shoulder causing Kal to flinch.

"I will be in my office for the rest of the day. When you are finished interrogating her, deliver the report to me."

"Yes, father. Will do." He nodded and waited until he father cleared the area.

He rolled his shoulders back, straightening himself out and approached the cell. He peered through the holographic screen that divided him and the princess. She shifted and lifted her head, now gazing at the wall in front of her. She whipped her head around and Kal took a step back almost out of fear.

He typed in a pass code to access the files to the said prisoner. He scrolled through the information merely skimming it to give him the necessary details on the Amazon.

"Your name is Princess Diana, correct?" he asked the first question.

She snorted. "If you have the information in front of you why are you asking me?"

"Just answer the question, princess."

She reared her head back, groaning. "Yes."

"And you're from Themyscira, correct?"

"This is ridiculous."

"Princess. Answer the question."

Diana stood and walked over to the holograph door and punched it with her fist, glaring at the man on the opposite side –the free side. A smile formed on her lips as she noticed his dilated pupils. She held up her bound wrists and joined the metal shackles together.

"It wasn't a wise choice to imprison me, Kryptonian. If it weren't for these restraints I would've killed you by now."

Kal met her gaze, threatened by her icy eyes then looked back at the tablet, scanning for more information. "You have super strength," he said, trying to ignore her harsh glare. "Flight and you possess lethal combat skills."

Diana smiled. "That's right. I've heard about you Kryptonians but I've never actually see one face to face. Is it true that you melt your enemy's flesh with your eyes if they don't submit to your Empire?"

At that, Kal was slightly insulted but he looked into her eyes and it appeared that she asked innocently. He kept scrolling on the tablet, mindlessly reading extra information that wasn't relevant to this interrogation.

"We don't melt our enemy's flesh off, princess." He coldly replied. "Besides that's impossible because of the red sun we have generated on Earth."

She nodded and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "Is that what prevents you from being the savages that you truly are?"

Kal brought his brows together and glared at the Amazon. "We are not savages. _You_ are the savage one, princess."

"Am I?" a sly smile graced her lips. "You're not the one being held against your will in a foreign land. But this is not _your_ land either, is it, _Kryptonian_?"

He licked his dry lips and stepped away from the cell. "Do you know why you're here, princess?" he asked and she blinked. "Your people attacked us and stole from our coastline, raided our ships, killed several of my people and provoked the rebels to fight against the Empire."

Diana pushed herself off the wall and poked the holographic wall separating them. "Do you have any idea what the Empire does to those who don't comply with your tyrannical laws?" she questioned. "You seem to live a luxurious life, Kryptonian. Are you royalty?" she took notice of his polished clothing and hair.

"No."

"No, _what_? No, you don't know what your people do to those who don't listen? Or no, you aren't royalty?"

Kal was a bit taken aback by her assertive tone. For a princess she was very outspoken and her voice was so calm yet stern. The way she carried herself was very regal despite the predicament she was in. Dare he say he was a bit intimidated by her? He had to remind himself that _he_ was the interrogator, not her.

"Princess, if you answer my questions this will go a lot smoother."

Diana smirked, "and then what? Will you release me? That is doubtful."

"I am merely here to ask questions. I have no control over who releases you or not."

She stood still, gaze forward, boring into his soul. He could feel it. Quickly, he went back to type in a few words of their conversation which wasn't going to be very useful to the Emperor at the moment. He didn't have time to stay down here all day bantering back and forth with this princess.

"What is your name, Kryptonian?"

His fingers glided along the tablet, typing furiously.

"Will I have to guess? You know my name so I should know yours. You're being very impolite, Kryptonian," she said with a glint in her eyes. "One shouldn't be impolite to a princess."

He briefly made eye contact. "Kal-El."

"Kal…el," the name rolled off her accented tongue. "Kalel."

"No, it's just Kal. El is my last name from the House of El."

Diana smiled, raising her eyebrows, understanding. "Kal. Kal from the House of El," she repeated. "Are you going to keep asking questions that you already know the answer to… _Kal_?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat and his fingers slid of the tablet, gazing into her shimmering blue eyes. He felt somewhat enchanted by her soothing voice especially when she called him by his name. He wasn't familiar with the Amazons but he assumed that these women lured men with their beauty. His mind wandered, thinking of the several thousands of Amazons just like Diana. Did they all posses the same beauty as her?

"I think that's enough questioning for today." He swiped his hand over the tablet, closing all of the documents.

"Will you come back and ask me the same questions tomorrow, Kal?"

He tried his best to conceal the smile he threatened to show. He then looked at the shackled wrists and ankles and remembered that she was not a normal woman. She could kill him with a few strikes in the right places; even worse if she had a weapon.

"If you need anything do not hesitate to ask Commander Ursa. She will make sure all of your needs are met, princess."

She arched an eyebrow. "That was the woman with short hair who watched over me like a hawk?" she inquired, clearly showing her dislike for the commander.

Kal gave a curt nod. "Yes, that's her. I will see you tomorrow. Good day, princess." He turned and started to walk towards the stairs.

"Kal!"

He halted and kept his back to her.

"It will not be a pretty day when my mother comes to rescue me. Your Emperor should think twice about holding me hostage. Expect bloodshed."

* * *

That damned princess. He was all out of sorts on his way home. That interrogation didn't go like he thought it would although truthfully, he never interrogated anyone before. Well, there was that one time, he had to speak to someone who spoke ill of his family but that wasn't anything compared to his conversation with the Amazon.

She not only refused to answer his questions but also spat questions right back at him. Annoyed wasn't the word he would use at this very moment. He was confused, miffed, puzzled. He didn't expect the princess to have such a quick tongue. She was so brazen and that caught him off guard. Amazons had a way with their words unlike Kryptonians who normally shied away from such behavior.

Then there was that quick encounter he had with his father earlier today. That also puzzled him. Today was a strange day. The worst part of it all was that he couldn't give his father a proper report and knew he might be chastised later when his father returned home without a report sent to him.

He entered his home and saw his little sister helping Bru with that odd machine that was taken from their mother's office. He interrupted their little session and they both grinned.

"Kal, did you see the princess today?" asked Valora.

She was too curious for her own good. "I did."

"What was she like? I've never seen a princess before. Was she pretty? Was she nice?"

Kal already felt overwhelmed with his duties today and now he had to deal with his jumpy kid sister. "I…it wasn't a usual meeting, Valora. Where's mother?"

She pointed to the long corridor. "She's in her office. She's working and told us not to disturb her."

He frowned. "She didn't go to work at the palace?"

Valora shook her head.

* * *

Today seemed like a series of unfortunate odd events. First his father then the princess and now his mother. He stopped in front of his mother's office located in the back of their manor. He knocked a couple of times waiting for a verbal command. He opened the door slowly and poked his head inside only to find the room empty.

He casually walked in knowing he wasn't supposed to enter without his mother's permission. He strolled around; eyeing all of the open tablets on the long metal tables sprawled across the room. With a furrow of his eyebrows he noticed a classified document on Emperor Zod and Empress Faora.

He tapped the image and projected it onto the large screen on the wall in front of him. He scrolled through the document and his eyes widened.

One count murder of High Eminence Ro-Zar.

Three hundred counts murder of Kryptonian council members.

Fifty counts murder of rebels.

Two hundred counts murder of Amazons from Themyscira.

Kal furiously scrolled to the end of the document and there were images of Zod and Faora at the bottom of the screen. His mouth gaped. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly closed out of the folder and turned off the projector.

"Kal?" Lara walked into the room with caution.

He spun around. "Mother."

"What are you doing in here? Didn't your brother and sister tell you that I was working?"

He walked away from her workspace and she began closing out several folders on multiple tablets. Kal adjusted the high collar on his suit. He wasn't known to sweat but it felt extremely hot in the room all of a sudden.

"Yes…Valora told me. I know you don't like it when we come into your office but I…wanted to speak with you."

She turned with a smile. "How did the interrogation go?" she quickly changed her mood.

"It…didn't go as well as I had hoped."

Lara shrugged a shoulder. "What did you expect, Kal? She's a prisoner. She's not going to be kind to you."

He grimaced and eyed the blank tablets, unable to get those images out of his mind about the Emperor and his wife. He wondered what his mother was actually working on and if that contributed to the constant bickering with his father.

"I have to go back tomorrow and question the princess some more. She was rather…reluctant to talk to me."

She nodded and impatiently tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for him to take his leave.

"Mother, why aren't you working in the palace today?"

She sighed. "I decided to work from home today. I will return tomorrow." She stared at her son who refused to budge. "Is that all, Kal?"

He nervously smiled. "I think I will go study before father comes home."


	3. Your Burden is Mine

The General watched her queen pace frantically and behave very out of character. Philippus witnessed the queen throw a bit of a tantrum by knocking over vases and marble busts onto the floor. She tried to intervene multiple times but it was best that she stay out of her way. It was for her safety and possibly every other guard in the queen's chambers.

Hippolyta tapped her fingers on her folded arms and walked from one end of the large bedroom to the other for the tenth time in a row. Now that her little self-indulgent outburst was over with she began planning and creating scenarios to rescue her daughter from imprisonment.

"The Kryptonians aren't going to release my daughter just because I say so," she said her thoughts aloud.

The dark skinned Amazon opened her mouth to speak and then was thwarted by yet another comment from Hippolyta.

"They can't just keep her there!" she growled and slammed a palm on the granite tabletop. "Hera knows what they're doing to her? What if she is being tortured as we speak? They have advanced technology. It is the only reasonable explanation as to why they were able to capture her."

Philippus inclined her head to the floor and let out a light sigh.

"We are deeply concerned for the princess' safety, your highness."

Hippolyta spun around and brushed her long midnight tresses behind her shoulders. She wrapped her arms behind her back and laced her fingers as she waltzed over to her General. Her eyes scanned the tall woman's coy posture and arched an eyebrow.

"None of this would've happened if you had kept an eye on her like I asked, _Philippus_."

"I know that I'm at fault, your majesty…" the General spoke meekly to hide her shame.

Hippolyta huffed and turned about to stare out the balcony. "It's not your fault. I apologize, Philippus. I'm just upset and worried about Diana."

"And so you should be!" she approached her queen. "Your highness, please consider negotiating with the Kryptonian Emperor. He might pardon us if you negotiate a peace treaty with him. You _did_ destroy all of their port ships," she added with a bit of satisfaction.

"Negotiations are off the table!" the queen growled. She looked over her shoulder and said, "they lost their chance when they kidnapped my daughter."

A knock at the door broke the heated queen's concentration. She and the General turned at the sight of the royal scribe, Clio, standing in the doorway. The girl had always been timid and a bit fearful of her superiors and she'd kept her distance as of late due to the queen's wrath.

"Your highness," Clio bowed, "General Philippus," she greeted with another bow.

"What is it that you need?" asked Hippolyta wearily.

Clio took a step forward. "Lieutenant Egeria requests an audience. She brings news from the Bana-Mighdall tribe."

The queen rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the balcony. She was so preoccupied with her daughter's kidnapping that she nearly forgot about the tribal warfare she currently had with her sister's tribe on the north side of the island.

The timid redheaded scribe wavered at her queen's lack of response. "I could tell her to come back another time?" Clio suggested.

"Send her in."

* * *

Kal avoided any conversation with his parents early in the morning. He skipped the daily breakfast with his family and quickly headed over to the palace to continue his interrogation with the Amazon Princess. He wasn't looking forward to the interrogation since the first time didn't go so well.

He also didn't want to receive another lecture from his father like the one that happened last night after dinner. His father was never such an angry person until recently and after he found those confidential files in his mother's office he wondered what those two were up to. He tried to put that out of his mind and keep focus. That also was difficult to do these days.

Outside of the prisoner's cell he acknowledged Commander Ursa who stood guard. The cells were empty all except for the princess. He gave a brief smile to the lithe commander and typed in his name on the pad on the wall.

"I don't know why the Emperor assigned this task to you," Ursa said, stepping close to the son of El. "The Emperor really likes your family. The Els are very popular. You should be _proud_."

He did his best to ignore her close proximity and scroll through the very little notes he managed to retrieve from yesterday's interrogation.

"I should have the report ready by this afternoon," he told her.

Ursa flashed a smile. "A _complete_ report this time, Kal-El."

She sauntered off and Kal leaned his forehead against the wall and took in several deep breaths to calm his nerves. He wiped his sweaty brow and frowned. Sweating again, he cursed. He took a step to the right and peered into the princess' cell and tapped the audio button on the pad.

"Good morning, princess," he announced louder than he liked.

Diana lifted her head from the pillow and sent him a scowl. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and swung her legs off the bed and slowly made her way over to the opposite side of her confined room. With a smile she then lifted her bound wrists.

"Have you come to ask me all the questions you know the answers to, Kal?" she pressed her palm against the holographic screen that separated them.

"If I knew all the answers then what do I need you for?"

He came at her with a witty response that surprised him. His cheeks reddened and that sneer of hers was no help at all. He quickly wiped his clammy cheek and typed in several codes on the pad.

"Ask away, Kal," she leaned up against the sturdy wall. "I've got all the time in the world."

He rolled his shoulders back and cleared his throat. "All of your answers are automatically recorded into the system so make sure you're aware of that."

"And we are being watched too?" she pointed to the red light hidden in the corner of the hallway.

Kal mistakenly turned his head up and eyed the camera peering down at them. Of course he knew everything was audio and video recorded in the palace. He felt stupid for even bothering to look. He gave the princess a deep frown and proceeded with the interrogation.

"Is it true that the Amazons are sending aid to the rebels in the Empire?" he asked.

Diana smirked. "Isn't it true that my people are _already_ considered rebels of your Empire?"

"Princess, don't get sidetracked. Answer the question."

"If you're asking if my people are sending aid to _themselves_ then yes."

"That…is not what I asked," he was a bit stumped by her sarcastic comeback. "I meant: are the Amazons sending supplies, money and soldiers to the rebels already living in the Empire?"

She chuckled. "No, Kal."

He looked a bit perturbed by her answer. She's laughing. Why is she laughing? Does she think this is a joke?

"Can I ask a question?" she interrupted his note-taking.

Kal's eyes widened. "I'm asking the questions here, princess, you –"

"Why do your people fear mine? Is it because of our special abilities? Our resilience to fight for what is right?" she slammed her chained wrists against the holographic door. "Your people outnumber mine by the thousands, Kal. My mother will never sign a peace treaty with your Emperor especially since I'm now a hostage."

His lips twitched into a cocky smile. "If your people are so _powerful_ then why haven't you overthrown the Empire already?"

Diana punched the hologram and took a step away. "We don't want to overthrow the Empire, Kal. We want peace for everyone and your people are tyrannical selfish dictators who prevent the world from operating in a nonviolent manner."

He collected his thoughts and wiped the smile from his lips. He was allowing his emotions rule over this interrogation and that was the first rule that his father taught him when he first began his studies. She was right about one thing; his superiors were selfish. He wished he never snooped in his mother's office and found those files but it wasn't like he could discuss those openly especially in front of the princess.

"We should get back to the questions, princess."

"Oh of course," she waved her hand. "More questions."

He rubbed his warm throat and asked, "how many Amazons live on your island?"

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Don't you already know?"

Kal looked to the ceiling to quell his frustration. Sure, this was his first interrogation and why did he have to get stuck with someone as difficult as her? He was positive that Emperor Zod was going to be rolling on the floor laughing in his office once he reviewed the video footage.

She played along. "Three thousand, possibly more. I can't be too sure. My _mother_ would know. I'm sure she'd love to answer your questions, Kal," she flashed a beaming smile.

"And your mother is the sole queen of your people, correct?"

"Why do you need to know all of this? Surely you have it on that little device of yours," she poked the hologram door.

This took a turn for the worse and frustration coursed through his body. He balled his fists and glared at the princess, nostrils flared and eyes tapered.

"Why can't you just answer my questions?" he asked in a low voice.

"Why can't you release me?!" she spat and punched the reinforced steel wall and left a sizable dent.

Kal's mouth parted and he looked into the cell and saw the damage she caused even with her wrists in bondage. The sheer strength she had was dangerous and maybe if his people embraced their strength and abilities they'd be unstoppable. He reminded himself that the Empire wanted equality for everyone. That was the goal.

While he kept quiet he swiped the notes on the electronic pad and turned it off. He gathered himself and laced his fingers together in front of his body and stared stoically at the irate princess. Her cheeks were puffed and eyebrows cinched as her chest rose and fell heavily from her labored breaths.

"We will continue the questioning tomorrow when you've calmed down from your little tantrum."

Diana's jaw dropped. " _Tantrum_?" she punched the screen. "I am perfectly calm, Kal! I am a prisoner! Should I bow down to _you_ like all of the sheep in your Empire? Tell me, Kal, should I?"

He scraped his fingernails against his palm and closed his eyes to compose himself. He wasn't one to get angry but perhaps some of his father's tension was rubbing off on him or perhaps the princess was just _that_ infuriating.

"Be careful of what you say, princess. You are being watched at all times." He nudged his head to the camera above. He turned to take his leave to head back up the stairs.

"Tell me, Kal, are you going to go home to your family?" Diana asked.

He halted in step and kept his gaze forward.

"I bet you're going to share a nice meal with them too," she waited for his response but received nothing but silence. "I want to go home to my family too, Kal."

She heard footsteps drift further and further away from her cell. She sighed and slid down the wall and curled her legs close to her chest.

* * *

Hurrying to close all of the tablets at her work station she heard someone approaching. She swiped her fingers along the tabletop and the projected screen turned black. The doors slid open and she brushed her hair behind her ears and wiped the sweat from beneath her eyes.

Of all people she didn't expect the Emperor to pay a visit to her lonely workspace. She struggled to find something to say, if anything at all, besides stare at him. The closer he got the more repulsed and harder it was to hide her disdain for the ruler.

"Lara," he put on his best charming smile. "You're here rather late, aren't you?" he traced his fingers along his trimmed beard.

She awkwardly laughed. "I was just heading home." She had her eyes on the doors that looked so far away right about now.

Just as she was to make her way across the room, Zod grabbed her arm firmly and yanked her back. Lara's icy eyes enlarged at his forceful grip. When he realized that he was caught he released her from his grasp and grinned.

"Since you're here I want to speak to you about something," he said.

Lara swallowed and nodded her head slowly. It took a moment for her heart to stop ringing in her ears and she smoothed her hands down her black gown.

"What can I do for you?"

She was careful of her body language so she wouldn't come off as defensive. She kept her fingers laced in front of her trim figure while her eye was set on the Emperor's fidgety hands.

"You are in charge of monitoring the Red Sun that hovers above this planet, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

Zod gave a curt nod. "And you're in charge of overseeing any changes that might happen? That includes any alterations that it may need in the foreseeable future, correct?"

"Yes." She watched him circle around her and frowned. "Is there a problem with my work?" she asked, slightly annoyed by intrusive questions. " _Emperor_ ," she added.

"No, your work is impeccable as always, Lara." He came round and pinched her chin. "I just want to make sure that's _all_ you're doing in here."

She played the staring game with him and gently grabbed his fingers and took them off her face. She lowered his hand to his side and gave a pearly white smile.

"What else would I be doing?" she titled her head. "If you don't have anything more to discuss then I should be on my way, Emperor."

Zod parted a path for her.

"Do tell your children that I wish them well."

She gave pause and grimaced with her hand over the pad beside the door. "I will."

* * *

"Kal! Just what in the world do you think an interrogation is?" Jor raised his voice. "You are the interrogator! Not her!"

Kal flinched at his father's obtrusive loud tone. He could count on one hand how many times he'd been scolded by his father throughout his entire life. At his age he didn't think he was going to be reprimanded like a small child. Bru was a child and far more obnoxious at the age of ten than Kal ever was.

"I can't show that footage to the Emperor," Jor pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled.

"Father, I am trying my best. The princess isn't very easy to talk to. She thinks it's unfair that she's being held prisoner for her people's crimes."

"Of course it's unfair!" he lashed out and Kal took a sharp inhale. "I don't…I don't think it's fair that she's being held hostage, Kal. It will only cause problems with the Amazons in the future but you can't tell the Emperor that. He wants you to pry information out of her and that's what you're going to do. It's your job."

Now he knew that his father was acting very odd when he started to speak out against Zod. He normally kept his opinions to himself regarding the Empire's laws and customs but he knew his mother had no problem spouting off when things didn't go her way. She was truly a perfectionist when it came to her craft and when the Empire's needs and wants trumped her work; she took every avenue to thwart the council's decision-making.

"You and mother are both rebelling against the Empire," Kal stated.

Jor grasped his son's shoulders. "Nobody said anything about rebelling."

"Then why does mother have confidential files in her office?" Kal's eyes darkened.

"Files? What files?" Jor shook his son. " _What_ files?"

Lara entered the quiet room and set down her case filled with her work for the day on a table by the door. She raised an eyebrow at her son and husband's close proximity. By the look on Jor's face he looked like he had seen some sort of phantom while Kal looked ready to knock someone down verbally or physically.

"Where are the children?" she addressed her husband.

"Why are you home so late?"

She folded her arms. "I was given extra tasks today." She brushed off his slightly accusative tone. "How was your interrogation session, Kal? Better than yesterday I hope."

Jor slowly inched forward to his wife. "Lara, what's this I hear about confidential files in your office?"

Her eyes drifted to her sheepish son. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He brushed by his wife and briskly walked down the long hallway. Lara gasped and glared at Kal who was trying his best to hide his face from her. She picked up her dress and ran down the hallway.

"Jor!" she called out. "Jor! Stop!"

Valora and Bru came out of their rooms and looked over the balcony on the second floor. They leaned on the railing and watched their father race down the hall with their mother shortly following. Their eyes averted to Kal who was tailing them.

Valora smiled. "Kal!" she yelled from up above.

He halted and waved at his sister. "Go back to bed you two."

"What's going on?" asked Bru.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Just go back to bed," Kal shooed his siblings away and then darted around the corner.

Jor barged into his wife's office and typed in the password to all of her tablets. He turned on the projector and over a dozen pages popped up on the screen. And another dozen appeared and there were several photos of Zod and Faora spread across the screen.

Lara finally caught up with him and took a moment to catch her breath. Her eyes widened at all of the files displayed around the room and felt sick to her stomach.

"Jor, please…"

"You're going to get us all killed!" he yelled and typed away on the pad.

"Jor, what are you doing?" she ran to him and he gently pushed her aside.

"I'm deleting all of this."

"No, you can't!" she begged and gripped his arm. "Jor, please don't."

Kal listened by the door to his mother pleading profusely. He creased his eyebrows and watched as his father started deleting all of the files all while fighting off his mother. If it wasn't obvious now then he'd be in serious denial. His mother was entirely against the Empire and the leaders.

He thought of what Diana said to him earlier. She spoke of how tyrannical the Kryptonian is. He never thought that a prisoner of war and his own mother would share the same thoughts. He knew from here on out that his family was going to be monitored very closely.

* * *

Hippolyta twirled a wooden chess piece over and over on her desk for the last few hours. She concluded her meeting with Lieutenant Egeria and it was just as she expected. Her sister thought to further divide the island and their tribes by constructing a massive wall. This in turn would completely divide the island nearly in half as well as the women themselves.

She snatched the chess piece in her palm and smirked. " _Queen_."

"Can I get you anything, my queen?"

She looked to the brunette chambermaid and wagged her head. "No thank you, Myrrha."

"You haven't moved from your desk all day. Maybe it would do you some good to get some fresh air? I could have your horse prepared for you."

"I don't want fresh air!" Hippolyta hissed and gripped the queen piece firmly. "I'm sorry. I've been in a foul mood since I received the news about Antiope."

Myrrha treaded cautiously. "It's understandable, your highness."

"And with Diana gone I have my hands tied. I have duties here. It is ludicrous that I have to keep my eye on my _older_ sister so she doesn't burn down the island," she snorted at the thought. "What do you think I should do?"

"You're asking _me_?" the chambermaid stuttered.

"Do you see anyone else in the room?"

Myrrha smiled. "I think you should go to the Kryptonians and demand they give the princess back. You spoke of a possible peace treaty with them but we both know that you aren't going to adhere to their demands."

Hippolyta snuffed a laugh at the _young_ Amazon's wit. "Fair enough. You know me very well. If I do decide to go to the Kryptonians then I must rely on our army to combat Antiope's tribe."

"I have faith that Egeria will be able to hold the Bana off until you return, my queen."

"She chose this," the queen tapped the chess piece on the desk. "It didn't have to be this way but she chose this path." she slammed the piece down. "Alright, I've decided."

She rose from her chair and Myrrha bowed her head.

"I will go to the Kryptonians. I expect they will retaliate with a declaration of war," she assumed.

"A wise choice, your majesty," Myrrha grinned from ear to ear.


	4. Operation El

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we've set up some foreshadowing in the previous chapters, things will get more interesting. Good luck and thanks for reading aha.

Maybe he wasn't meant to be a councilman. He couldn't even get a straight answer out of his prisoner. Three days and he was left with nothing useful but that seemed like a trivial thing to worry about right now.

After last night he wasn't sure that he wanted to come out of his room, let alone the house. He heard his parents arguing for hours after all of his mother's incriminating files were deleted from all devices. He didn't think his mother would put their family in such imminent danger but she did and that's why his father was so angry with her recently.

Kal understood everything now. He was living with a traitor of the Empire –his mother –and his father was trying to cover up the mess. He and his mother must be such a disappointment to the El family. The Emperor and his wife will have found out about this by now, Kal was sure of that. Their family was being watched constantly. There is no way Zod and Faora would've let this slip.

Rolling over onto his back, Kal gazed up at the ceiling, wishing this day was already over. Today was going to be the day. He was going to march right into the palace and demand answers from Diana. He couldn't allow her witty comebacks to distract him this time. He cannot be made a fool of _again_.

He forced himself to sit up and dragged his body out of bed to dress for the day. A wave of nausea hit him when he realized he'd have to actually come out of his room to make his way to the palace. He would have to sit across the table from his parents and act like nothing happened last night.

The images he came across in his mother's office were disturbing and he refused to believe it at first. Could Zod and Faora really be ruthless murderers? Were they all living under a tyrannical regime like Diana claimed? Did his father agree with his mother indirectly and that's why he erased the files? Could he be siding with Lara this whole time?

Kal stood in front of a full length mirror in a black suit and smoothed his hands down the slick material. With a swipe of his fingers, he combed through his short raven locks and took in a deep breath. His time in his room had come to an end.

He grabbed his black flowing cape on his way out and paused at the foot of the door. He pressed his ear against the door and listened to a cluster of footsteps running throughout his home. They were too heavy and loud to be Valora or Bru.

The door slid open and he walked towards the railing and peered down from the second floor. Over a dozen of Kryptonian soldiers invaded his home and were scurrying through the palace like insects. Kal's heart sank to his stomach and his eyes darted from left to right, watching the soldiers come in and out of every room in his home.

Commander Ursa stomped her way in and shouted, "bring Lara-El to me! Detain her but do not harm her!" she ordered her soldiers.

Kal backed away from the balustrade and turned to see his siblings standing in the middle of the hallway, watching the horror of soldiers rummaging through their home. He ran to them and grabbed them by their arms, escorting them away from the chaos.

"Kal, what's happening?" asked Bru. "Why –why's the army here? Is someone getting arrested?"

"I'm taking you back to your rooms." He urgently kept pulling his siblings through the hall until he lost grip of his sister. "Valora!"

She scurried down the hallway to the far balcony to follow the soldiers below. She rammed her body against the railing and gasped at Lara being manhandled by four soldiers.

" _Mom_!" she shouted, panic setting in. "Mother!" she ran along rails, keeping her eye on the soldiers. "Where are you taking her?" she asked the soldiers, tears welling in her eyes.

Kal grabbed her forcefully and scooped her into his arms. He cradled her head in his palm, trying to soothe her. Valora nestled her cheek against his chest and wailed. Kal turned away and bumped into his little brother.

"They took mother?" Bru asked, already knowing the answer, tears threatened to fall freely. "What did she do? Will the soldiers hurt her?"

Kal wore a lopsided smile. "She'll be alright," he reassured his brother.

"Are they going to take us too?"

Kal grabbed Bru's hand and ushered him into the next available room while holding his weeping sister. He set Valora down in a chair and knelt down to their level.

"Don't come out of this room until I say so," he said and both his siblings stared at him wide-eyed. "I promise nothing's going to happen to you two. Stay here."

He hurried down the stairs onto the first floor and stepped over the rubble of what the soldiers left. He found his father standing in the foyer of their large estate. The look on his face was heartbreaking. Kal had never seen his father look so defeated before in his life.

Jor hung his head in silence and heard his son approaching from behind.

"Father, what's going to happen to mother? They're not going to kill her, are they?" Kal exhaled heavily, finding it hard to breathe.

Jor brought his eyebrows together. "How long has your mother been harboring those files?" he said just above a whisper.

"I…don't know. The Emperor must've been watching her for months. Father," he huffed, "what are we going to do now?"

"Where are the twins?"

Kal blinked, disturbed by his father's calm behavior. "They're…upstairs. Valora is really upset."

Jor clenched his jaw and turned around, facing his son. "The council is going to send someone to question your mother. I need to get in touch with your uncle. She's going to need a lot of help if she's going to be released."

"Released?" Kal stammered. "What does that mean? Are they throwing her in _prison_?" he raised his voice. "They can't do that!"

Jor grabbed his son by the shoulders. "Kal! She is going to be charged with treason! Don't you _understand_?" he cheeks tinged pink as the rage built up within. "I need to speak with my brother immediately. Maybe the twins can stay with Alura for awhile."

Kal stood, dumbfounded by what he just heard. His shoulder was bumped by his father passing by him. He gazed at the front door that was broken down by Ursa's brutes. He clenched his fists and tapered his eyes, allowing his anger to consume him the longer he waited in silence.

His family was already renowned in the Empire and now this was going to be talked about for ages. Kal marched straight for the exit.

Jor peered from behind a wall and grimaced. "Kal! Where do you think you're going?" he called out then ran to the exit. "Kal!"

* * *

Diana shuffled her feet around the floor, bored out of her mind. She peered over at the dent in the wall she made yesterday and sighed. Being confined to a small space without knowing what time of day it was could make anyone go insane. She thought she was very arrogant to think that she knew she wasn't going to stay here forever.

She knew her mother would come for her. She always did, right? Her mother was her backbone and Diana knew she could be unruly sometimes. If she had stayed behind during the coastal raids she probably wouldn't have been captured but as usual, she chose not to listen to her superior; her mother, her queen.

This was her fault and she owned up to that. After she was going to broken out of this place whether by force or discreetly, she was going to receive a lecture from mother. She could already hear the queen's voice ringing in her head. She shuddered at the thought of being yelled at for the millionth time.

Diana stood from the uncomfortable bed and wandered around the room in a small circle. She gazed down at the metal anklets and frowned. Kryptonians, she scoffed. The only way to sustain her sanity in this cell was to keep track of the amount of hours she remained awake and those when she fell asleep.

Kal should be here soon. She was ready for the questions and inwardly got a little bit of satisfaction of throwing Kal-El off track during the interrogation. Diana wondered if he was aware of it. He had a dense head, she thought, and started chuckling as her thoughts got the best of her.

While she kept circling around herself she heard shuffling, yelling, and cursing men from outside her cell. She waltzed over to peer out into the hall and Commander Ursa marched down the hall and opened a cell across the way. Diana arched her eyebrow and saw a few men throw a woman into the cell.

Ursa typed in a code and sealed the cell shut. She spoke to one of the soldiers, "tell Emperor Zod that I have Lara-El in our custody now."

" _El_ …" Diana muttered.

The commander looked over her shoulder and her lip twitched. "What're you staring at, princess?"

"I was wondering when I was going to be interrogated since I _love_ that so much," Diana winked, riling the short haired woman.

Ursa rolled her eyes and shooed her men out of the tight corridor. She gave the Amazon a look of discontent then went about her way, disappearing from the lower level and up the stairs.

Diana couldn't hide her smile and chewed on her bottom lip. There was nothing to do but irritate these Kryptonians and they made it far too easy to do so. Her attention went to her prison mate a few feet away and skewed her eyes to take a good look at her.

She rose to her toes and walked to the other end of her cell and saw Lara sitting on the floor, bound by her wrists and ankles. Lara had her head in between her knees, sobbing softly, unaware that a pair of eyes were on her.

"My name is Princess Diana," she called out.

Lara wiped her nose and brought her arms around her knees, bringing her legs close to her chest. She completely blocked everything out around her, including Diana.

The Amazon wrinkled her eyebrows and cocked her head at the weeping brunette. "Do you know a Kal-El?" she asked and Lara's head shot up. Diana's mouth parted upon seeing Lara's watery red eyes. "Oh…I heard the commander call you El. I just wondered if you're related to him."

Lara brushed her hair away from her face and sniveled. "He's my son."

This woman is Kal-El's mother? She must've done something horrible to be put in prison in her own empire. Suddenly, Diana felt bad for Kal. He was most likely worried sick over his mother or maybe he was just as cold as every other Kryptonian here and didn't care about his mother's well being.

"You possess a beauty that rivals my sisters back home," Diana said with a bright smile.

Lara wore a faint grin and wiped her eyes and tears from her wet cheeks. "You must hate us for doing this to you. Princess Diana, that's your name, yes?"

"Yes and your name is?"

"Lara," she laced her fingers together and her chin quivered then began to weep again.

Diana's eyes widened and sat down in front of the holographic door. She listened to Kal's mother sob and fell speechless. For all the talking she did with Kal-El, she had absolutely nothing to say to his mother. Curiously, she wanted to pry and ask why Lara was in here but being as that they were watched and listened to, she chose not to.

"Kal must be worried about you."

Lara's eyes averted to the princess and she inhaled sharply. "This is my fault. I allowed for this to…to happen to me. I should have never collected those files." She cursed and slammed her fist on the ground.

"Shh," Diana put a finger to her mouth and pointed at the camera in the corner of the hall. "They're listening to us."

"Let _them_ listen." Lara spat venomously and folded her arms. "Because of my actions I've left my children alone."

So, Kal-El has siblings. That's interesting and good to know. Diana kept face and smiled meekly at the woman across from her. Their icy blue eyes met and Lara composed herself, wiping the tears away once more and crawled to the front of the cell, sitting on her heels.

"I'm sorry, I keep talking about my problems and here you are, imprisoned in a foreign place, far away from your home."

Diana put up a hand. "You have a right to be upset, Lara. I can't imagine being imprisoned by my own people. Whatever you did must've been worth it."

"I don't think it matters anymore."

Diana decided to lighten the mood. "Your _son_ is a horrible interrogator. He couldn't get a straight answer out of me."

Lara raised her eyebrow. "He told me that you didn't exactly make his job very easy." She noticed the rosiness of the Amazon's cheeks. "And now I see _why_ he was so flustered."

"Why's that?" Diana innocently asked.

"Perhaps he could've done his job if you were not-so-pleasing to the eyes," the Kryptonian hinted and flashed a sly smile at the doe-eyed princess.

* * *

He marched into the palace and was gawked at his entire journey across the city. Word of his home invasion had already circled around and the citizens were gossiping about his mother. He heard several of them making snide comments as he weaved in and out of the crowded streets. Each time he heard his mother's name in vain he wanted to retaliate, but he couldn't.

Reputation. He had a reputation to uphold but now he was more focused on freeing his mother from prison. He ran up the steps and entered the palace, bypassing the guards who stood by. They didn't bother to stop him which he thought odd.

With haste, he made it to the entrance to the lower level of the palace. Commander Ursa kept guard with her soldiers standing in a row. It was as if she was expecting him to come here. Ursa stepped forward, facing the heated young El.

"Leave the palace, Kal-El."

His chest heaved and sweat poured down his forehead. "I want to see my mother."

Ursa snickered and twirled the baton in her hand. " _Leave_ before I force you, Kal. I would hate to scar that gorgeous face of yours."

"You can't keep her in there!" he tried to brush by her and several soldiers circled around him.

She jabbed him in the chest with the end of her baton. She rested her finger on the button on the side of the weapon and Kal looked down at the blue light illuminating at the sharp end of her weapon. She took a step forward and he followed the dance, taking a step back.

"I've warned you, Kal. Don't be stupid," she pressed the button on the baton and the loud hissing crackling noise startled Kal and he flinched. "It'd be wise of you to leave now before you _and_ I both do something we'll regret."

"Just let me see her, Ursa. I won't do anything but talk to her." he begged.

She snarled and thrust the weapon towards his chest, threatening to zap his flesh. Kal, growing impatient, he grabbed the baton and whacked her chin with it and then the soldiers immediately surrounded him. He took a zap to his back and another to his leg. He collapsed to his knees and dropped the baton, landing on all fours, surrendering.

Ursa rubbed her jaw and snatched her weapon that landed by her boot and stalked over to the young El. She raised the weapon above her head, ready to strike him to the shoulder.

"Commander!" Zod's voice boomed through the hallway.

She hesitated and lowered the weapon and took a step away from Kal. She waved her hand to the soldiers to stand down. She and the others bowed their heads at the Emperor who slowly made his way across the room.

Kal lifted his eyes and rose to his feet, struggling to stand. The stinging in his spine lingered and now that he was met face to face with Zod, he found it hard to greet him under the circumstances.

"Kal-El," he sneered. "I know you wish to see your mother. She's a very loving woman," he brushed his hand along Kal's shoulder. "But she's been dabbling with sensitive information and _that_ , I cannot allow."

Out of character, Kal retorted, "what has my mother done that has made you so scared?" he arched a brow. "That is why you arrested her, isn't it? You're afraid of her."

Zod closed the space between them and met eye level with the son of El. "I'd choose your words wisely, Kal-El," he whispered. "I'll make sure your family is well taken care of."

"And my mother? What will happen to her?"

"She will be exposed for the traitor that she is." Zod smiled maliciously. "Go home, Kal, unless you want to be put in prison with your mother…" he subtly threatened and trailed away with elite guards following him.

Kal's jaw locked and he met Ursa's gaze from afar. She looked ready to imprison him regardless if he attacked or not. He eyed the doors that led to the prison below and questioned if it was worth it to be brutally attacked again or to go home like the Emperor advised. Heeding Zod's words, he backed away slowly and saw a twitch of a smile from Ursa's lips as he drifted further away.

* * *

Jor sent a brief message to his brother which took hours to receive a response. He chose to send a letter through the system instead of calling because he knew that his family was more under the radar than he thought. He didn't like the response from his brother.

He needed people, his family, to vouch for Lara and his brother said underhandedly, that he didn't want to be involved. Everyone was so fearful of Zod and Faora but they never voiced their opinions. Lara was the only person who had the gall to oppose the Empire. She tried her best to hide it but under this regime, there are no secrets.

Jor sat in his wife's office and gawked at the destruction the soldiers caused. All of the devices, tablets and systems were destroyed in a matter of minutes. It took only a few minutes for the soldiers to raid his home and obliterate everything. He was lucky that none of his children were harmed in the process.

As he sat, rubbing his chin pensively, he turned at a small figure standing in the doorway. He uncrossed his legs and smiled, extending his arms. Valora, teary eyed and riddled with exhaustion, cautiously walked towards him.

He grabbed Valora by the waist and gently set her on his lap. He swiveled in the chair so they wouldn't have to look at the horrible mess displayed.

"I've arranged for you and Bru to stay with Alura and Zor."

Valora gasped. "Nooo," she whined. "I don't want to stay with Aunt Alura. I want to stay here!"

"You can't," he said, disappointing her further. "I'm sorry," he kissed her temple. "You like spending time with Kara, don't you? You two will have a great time together."

She continued to sulk and nestled her face in his chest. "I want to stay," she said in a muffled voice with her face pressed into the fabric of his suit.

Kal barged into the office and was about to give his father a piece of his mind but when he saw Valora sitting in his father's lap he let his guard down. Jor turned and allowed his daughter to slide off his lap. She ran to Kal and wrapped her lanky arms around his legs.

"Did you go see mother? Is she alright? What will they do to her?" she asked, gazing up at her brother.

Kal crookedly smiled. "I really need to talk to father alone."

"But Kal…"

"Please?"

Valora's shoulders drooped in defeat and she sauntered away. "I guess I'll go tell Bru that we're leaving soon," she muttered and exited the room, her feet sliding against the cold floors.

Now that he was alone with his father all of his hot blood had seeped out of his body. The desire to yell at Jor was gone since he laid eyes on his sister. She reminded him a lot of his mother especially her kindness. They also shared the same eyes and mouth. It was probably why Kal would always do anything Valora asked of him. He could never say no to her much like he couldn't say no to his mother.

Jor rose from the chair to face his son. He expected an argument to ensue but found his son dosing off, looking out into the open absentmindedly.

"I don't think erasing the files would've saved mother from imprisonment," Kal spoke softly. "I tried to go see her," he lifted his eyes to stare at Jor. "Ursa wouldn't let me through."

"That isn't surprising." Jor crossed his arms over his chest. "You shouldn't have gone to the palace, Kal."

"What was I supposed to do? They came into our home and took her! They _took_ her, father!"

"I know!" Jor yelled and then simmered down. "I know. I tried to warn her, Kal. I warned her several times. She didn't listen to me."

Kal wagged his head. "What did uncle Zor have to say?"

"He…doesn't want to help speak for your mother."

Kal scoffed and mocked his father with a laugh. "Diana was right."

Jor furrowed his eyebrows. "The Amazon? What does she have to do with this?"

"She said we live in a tyrannical empire and she was right. The people are too afraid of Zod and Faora. Did you even look at the files mother kept? They murdered thousands of people!"

" _Kal_!" he rushed forward and put a hand over his son's mouth. "Don't speak too loudly. We are being listened to and watched."

He slapped his father's hand away. "They've been listening this whole time!" he hissed. "What difference does it make now?" he whispered and took a quick glance around the room. This place was bugged for sure. He knew it.

"Zod is afraid of mother. That's the only reason he locked her away. She knows all of his secrets and you're a _fool_ if you think he's going to let mother out _alive_."

Jor felt his breath catch in his throat. "Don't say things like that, Kal."

"Now I know why you two argued so much. How long has mother been stealing confidential files?" he scanned his father's eyes and saw a lot of guilt hidden beneath the blue marbles. "I _see_. She finally got caught. She wasn't careful enough."

Kal abruptly ended the one-sided conversation and walked to the exit.

"Where are you off to now?" Jor asked warily.

"I'm going to contact the Queen of the Amazons."

"W-what? Why would you do that?"

"We need evidence, father. We need evidence of Zod and Faora murdering people. The public doesn't know anything but _mother_ knew. They're going to kill her."

Jor wavered and he stretched his arm out and grabbed Kal by the arm. "What makes you think the Amazon Queen is going to listen to you, let alone _help_ you?"

"Her daughter is being held prisoner here. She'll listen," Kal smiled.


End file.
